Can NY Giants DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Hold On to His Roster Spot?

 The New York Giants, looking to bolster their run defense after finishing 27th in the league in 2022 (144.2 yards/game), added veteran defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches as a free agent from the Bucs the following offseason.

It didn’t matter, as the Giants run defense continued its struggles, falling to 29th in 2023 before rushing two spots last year. 

This is not to say that the inability of the Giants run defense to get out from the bottom third of the league is all on Nunez-Roches, but as part of that defense, despite posting some career-best numbers last season, it just wasn’t enough to lift the struggling unit toward at least the top half of the league’s run defense.

It also wasn’t enough to discourage general manager Joe Schoen from adding a lot of depth, both experienced and youth, to the defensive line. 

Given the additions made to the Giants defensive front, is Nunez-Roches in danger of losing his roster spot?  

Rakeem Nunez-Roches, IDL

2024 in Review

Nunez-Roches finished with career highs in tackles (52) and quarterback hits (6) and tied his career high in sacks (2.0) last season in a starting role for the Giants defensive line. But despite those more than decent numbers, there were more than just a handful of times in which Nunez-Roches was neutralized by a solo block, his spot usually being the one that opposing offenses targeted when yards were needed. 

Nunez-Roches is a veteran leader on the defense whom the coaches apparently like–how else to explain that he’s still on the roster despite the heavy addition to the defensive line and the fact that they’re willing to carry his whopping $5.033 million cap figure which, if they were to offload, would save them $3.6 million. 

But all things said, the hustle and emotion in Nunez-Roches’s game only carried him so far, as he was inconsistent in holding the point of attack, tying up blockers, and making plays other than in pursuit.  

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Contract/Cap Info

Nunez-Roches is in the final year of the three-year, $12 million contract he signed in 2023. He’ll count for $5.033 million against the team’s cap this season, of which $3.565 is his base salary and $35,000 was paid out in a workout bonus. 

Nunez-Roches no longer has guaranteed money owed to him, so should the Giants wish to terminate his contract after training camp, they’d save $3.6 million and incur a $1.433 million dead money hit. 

2025 Preview

It speaks volumes that the Giants added significant veteran depth on the defensive line in the form of Roy Robertson-Harris and Jeremiah Ledbetter. They also added youngster Darius Alexander, the presumed heir apparent to the starting job that Nunez-Roches held for the team last year. 

The coaches like Nunez-Roches, and indeed, he’s not a bad player to have around the locker room, given his enthusiasm, his team-first mentality, and his effort. 

But if we’re talking about cost-effectiveness, his contract seems a bit steep for a guy who not only doesn’t give the team much in terms of the pass rush and who also struggles against solo blocking but who is also one that might be headed toward more of a rotational role this year if he makes the 53-man roster.

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